Desperate to deliver weapons for Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma is a finalist for elite 2025 wide receiver

In 2023, Dillon Gabriel was one of the best quarterbacks in the country. His heroic effort against Texas single-handedly won the Red River Rivalry for the Sooners and the veteran lefty finished the year with 3,660 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to six interceptions before leaving for Oregon in the transfer portal. 

Gabriel’s elite season came without a true No. 1 option at wide receiver, Drake Stoops became his de-facto top target, reeling in 84 balls for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns, but was not a dynamic downfield threat. For 2023 five-star Jackson Arnold to replicate Gabriel’s success, especially with former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby now the head coach at Mississippi State, Arnold will need more talent on the outside. 

Arnold’s lone start of the 2023 season came in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona when the 6-foot-1 freshman threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, but only completed 57.8% of his passes and turned the ball over three times. Stoops and Nic Anderson led the Sooners in receptions. 

Anderson, the 6-foot-4 213-pound redshirt sophomore will be back in Norman for the 2024 season after hauling in 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 scores last season and will be joined by Purdue transfer Deion Burks, one of the most dynamic receiving threats on the market this winter.

Jalil Farooq who caught 45 passes for 694 yards last season will also be in the mix for a large target share, but Burks should be WR1. Burks has two years of eligibility remaining, but head coach Brent Venables and new OC Seth Littrell must continue to add talent to the wide receiver room or risk stunting the development of the program's most important player.

While Arnold was the fourth overall QB in the 2023 class and considered an elite prospect, there are already plenty of reasons to doubt that class which included five five-stars at the position. Dante Moore and Malachi Nelson have already transferred, Moore to become Gabriel's backup at Oregon and Nelson down to Boise State in the Mountain West. The Sooners clearly feel confident in Arnold as the future of the position, but without great size or elite athleticism, he'll need quality playmakers around him to realize his full potential.

Oklahoma’s 2024 high school recruiting class includes four-star wide receiver Zion Kearney and 6-foot-6 four-star Ivan Carreon, who could both play a factor in the fall as true freshmen. However, the position is still a high priority in the 2025 class, which already includes a commitment from four-star Elijah Thomas, and recent New Jersey four-star Quincy Porter included the Sooners in his six finalists. 

Porter has narrowed his recruiting down to Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Oklahoma. While he’s only a four-star, Porter is the No. 12 wide receiver in the country and could continue to rise up the 247Sports rankings. 

With great size at 6-foot-3 190 pounds, Porter has excellent footwork and unsurprisingly dominates defensive backs at the catch point. What might be surprising about his game is the twitch he has off the line of scrimmage, at the top of routes, and with the ball in his hands. Despite his long legs and long strides, Porter can make defenders miss and has impressive contact balance to shed tacklers and avoid getting knocked off his route. 

Oklahoma is still in the mix for uncommitted five-star Kaliq Lockett, the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2025 class, but he’s likely to land at Texas, so Venables should double his recruiting efforts with Porter who is one hell of a consolation prize.